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TheBroCode Rule #9: A bet is a bet. If you make a bet with a bro and its sealed by a handshake, you MUST honor that bet no matter what!.. unless given direct voidance by the bro you bet with

What’s up Champs? We’re 9 weeks strong and it’s only gettin’ deeper. It’s time we actually break this down, WTF is masculinity?

Little did I know it’s already been classified into categories and broken down to roots. Let's dive in.

The 5 Stages of Masculinity

This is probably the most critical part of it all. The stages are something we should familiarize ourselves with as we grow through different stages in life as men.

• Unconscious Masculinity

  Men adhere to traditional masculine norms without critical reflection or awareness.

• Conscious Masculinity

  Men begin to question and analyze societal expectations of masculinity, striving for alignment with a more authentic understanding of self.

• Critical Masculinities

  Men engage in a deeper critique of traditional masculinity, exploring diverse perspectives and recognizing the intersectionality of gender with other social identities.

• Multiple Masculinities

  Men embrace the idea of diverse masculine experiences and expressions, rejecting the notion of a singular, hegemonic masculinity.

• Beyond Masculinities

  Men transcend traditional gender binaries, prioritizing authenticity and self-expression while advocating for gender equality and social justice.

you can dive deeper in to them here

The Types of Masculinity

In order today’s world, there is no doubt we have a masculinity crisis on our hands. So let's start with the types of masculinity, the stages of masculinity, and then YOU decide where you fall and where you wanna be. There are 4 main types as per Raewyn Connell:

Hegemonic Masculinity - Represents the stereotypical ideal male. Like Tony Montana from Scarface, the alpha male. This type of masculinity is all about being stronger, tougher, more physical, more violent, more macho, than everyone else. It focuses on power.

Subordinate Masculinity - This is a type of masculinity that hegemonic men assert dominance over, called effeminate men. This is what we call the feminine men or the men too close to their femininity. These men don’t fit into the cultural frameworks of strength, power, and authority in men. This could include gentle men, overly intellectual men, emotional men, an above average caring and empathy for people, solidarity with feminism, all appear in this type.

Complacent Masculinity - This refers to the men that don’t really care about being the alpha male. They don’t embody the hype-masculine traits, don’t give a shit about being the tough guy, and are just normal men. They’re still the patriarch, still get the privileges men do, but don’t go out of their way to prove how masculine they are. Some call it the ‘accomplice masculinity.’

Protest Masculinity - These are the men who overcompensate for their lack of power, by trying to prove that they are hypermasculine all the time, as marginalized men. These could be men who don’t have control over their finances, social status, workforce participation, lack social/cultural capital, and other benefits of the alpha male, so they react and try to grab back power in other ways, usually anger, violence, risk-taking are signs of it. This is essentially marginalized men trying to take back their power.

Then we have the two kinds of masculinity that we’re all too familiar with due to social media and western culture. These are terms not coined by men or research but by women, so take it with a grain of salt.

Toxic Masculinity - The hardcore sexists, always need to aggressively compete about everything, try to dominate others all the time, essentially bring out all the stigmas and bad traits in men. They desire to be dominant, use strength to win arguments, see themselves as authoritative, more deserving than women, that women are inferior to men. Make of this what you will, I understand women’s concern, but I don’t think any man can be toxic all the time, so I don’t necessarily agree with this socially enforced (non-scientific type but I’ll let you decide.

Positive Masculinity - This is pretty much the opposite of toxic. These men are considered positive again, by women, as these men advocate for women, fight for equality, are not afraid to be emotional, caring, and kind, but also know when to be strong, aggressive, and protective. They have good physical and mental health, strong values, and morals, and prosocial behavior. To me, this is the IDEAL MAN, as created by women, to be the utter opposite of what they hate in men, so again, take it with a grain of salt.